FIFA World Cup: For a brief moment, goalscorers forget poverty and war

The 21st FIFA World Cup will start from June 14th

FIFA WC 2018

The eyes of the world will turn to Russia this week for the World Cup but it is far away you must look to find the sport's beating heart -- on war-ravaged streets and in poverty-stricken slums where the simple act of scoring a goal transcends the grind of everyday life.

FIFA WC 2018

For every goal celebrated by the 32-teams at the four-yearly gathering of soccer's superstars, thousands more will be scored on makeshift pitches in Yemen, Somalia and Gaza and beyond.

FIFA WC 2018

For one young boy playing in the playground of a bomb-damaged school in Benghazi, Libya, the simple act of scoring a goal represents a homecoming of sorts -- the chance of a return to some semblance of normality

FIFA WC 2018

Yet access to a ball and a goal, be it a couple of chunks of masonry, two twisted sticks in the desert or a the remains of a bombed-out building can provide a 'theatre of dreams' -- a refuge from the horrors of armed conflict or the daily struggle of a life lived in the most challenging circumstances.

FIFA WC 2018

In the four years since FIFA's extravaganza was played out across Brazil, soccer's governing body has been dogged by corruption scandals provoking accusations from fans that the 'beautiful game' has been poisoned by greed.